The
2010s
were
a
WILD
time.
Questionable
decisions
were
made.
That
finger
tattoo
of
a
hipster
moustache
isn’t
aging
particularly
well.
The
bold
contour
and
highlighter
that
reflects
like
the
surface
of
the
sun
gives
you
a
jumpscare
every
time
you
look
at
throwback
pics.
And
we’re
not
even
going
to
mention
the
eyebrows
in
the
photos.
Remember
we
used
to
proudly
go
out
—
sans
mask
—
when
we
were
sick
and
boast
about
how
tough
we
were
for
fighting
through
illness?
Just
bonkers
stuff.
For
the
HGTV
set,
shiplap
and
the
modern
farmhouse
aesthetic
ruled
and
Jojo
Gaines
was
their
leader.
The
uniform
was
praised,
and
outdated
federal
reporters
graced
the
shelves
of
idealized
bookcases.
And
when
the
once
useful
staple
of
legal
research
couldn’t
be
found
at
a
flea
market,
then
the
uniform
was
forced
by
turning
books
backward
only
leaving
the
pages
of
the
tomes
showing.
Yes,
of
course
the
spine
is
where
the
useful
information
like
the
TITLE
is
found,
but
it
wasn’t
about
functionality
but
the
look.
Of
course,
the
trend
was
mocked.
Bibliophiles
revolted
—
called
it
an
“illiteracy-inducing”
trend
for
“empty-headed
people,”
part
of
an
“ignoramus
watch,”
and
just
plain
fuckery.
And,
as
a
book
lover,
it’s
easy
to
feel
the
outrage
of
books
divorced
from
their
purpose
and
made
into
decorative
units
with
no
respect
for
the
content.
But
unlike
gladiator
sandals,
it
doesn’t
look
like
this
trend
was
left
in
the
pre-pandemic
world.
As
part
of
his
recent
set
of
appearances
promoting
his
new
book/anti-textualism
volume,
retired
Supreme
Court
Justice
Stephen
Breyer
appeared
on
Washington
Post
Live
in
front
of
a
wall
of
wrong-facing
books.
It’s
a
terrible
look.
Rate
My
Skype
Room
blames
the
publisher,
Simon
&
Schuster,
for
bringing
back
this
anti-intellectual
set-up.
The
logic,
such
that
it
is,
goes
that
they
don’t
want
to
promote
non-Simon
&
Schuster
books,
so
the
spines
go
to
the
wall.
But
that
is
stupid.
Their
product
is
books,
and
deliberately
using
a
backdrop
that
devalues
the
entire
purpose
of
their
business
is
tragically
short-sighted.
Did
they
*really*
trade
giving
a
sliver
of
attention
to
HarperCollins
in
exchange
for
something
that
straight
up
enrages
book
lovers?
That’s
a
terrible
deal.
And
frankly
it
is
far
better
for
their
business
model
to
encourage
people
to
love
and
enjoy
books
generally
—
regardless
of
publisher
—
than
to
be
thought
of
as
a
mindless
corporation
that
jealously
guards
their
market
share
to
the
detriment
of
the
health
of
the
industry.
And
boo
to
Justice
Breyer
for
going
along
with
it.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@Kathryn1@mastodon.social.